Internal combustion engine



March 8,1932. Y F. PARK'S 1,848,380

INTERNAL cdNBUsTIoN ENGINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Fabv 20, 1928' 1 n uQnTor Tied 13. Parks hfmm March 8, 1932. PARKS 1,848,380

' INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE 2 Sheets- Shet 2 Filed Feb: 20, 1928 InoenTor TFre l5. POIk5 (\Tiomag Patented Mar. 8, D 1932 UNITED STATES FRED -B. PARKS, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE' Application filed February 20, 1928. Serial No. 255,541.

This invention relates to an internal combustion engine and is primarily concerned with a novel construction of and improvement in engines of this character whereby ;the ordinary gasoline fuel used in such engines may be supplemented either by other fuels, such as kerosene or other hydrocarbon fuels having a higher vaporization point than gasoline, or there may be introduced into the engine water, which is converted to steam upon the ignition of the explosive charge in a cylinder, thereby imparting to the piston a second power impulse. In any case, whether the less volatile hydrocarbon fuel is used or Whether water is used, the vaporlzation and subsequent explosion in the first instance or the vaporization and conversion to steam in the second instance impart to the engine a second power impulse after the first fuel explosion in the cylinder. Either the less volatile hydrocarbon fuel or water may be used in this manner, or both may be used together.

- It is a primary object and purpose of the present invention to provide a simple, practical and economically produced construction and apply the same to internal combustion engines forthe attainment of the above. described ends. The invention specifically consists in simple and novel means for the attainment of such ends but more broadly is dirooted to means and mechanism for the at tainment of such ends without limitation to any particular or specific construction.

An understanding of the invention may be had from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary transverse vertical 9 section through one cylinder of an engine having my invention applied thereto.-

.Fig. 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section showing a plurality of engine cylinders, and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section similar to that shown in Fig. 1, but showing the parts in a different position, the piston being shown at its upper position in Fig. 1 and at its lower position in Fig.3. I

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawings.

The engine block may have any desired number of cylinders 1, water jacketed as indicated at 2. Over the upper end of the block a head 3 is located and secured in the usual manner, the spark plugs 4 being water jacketed as well as some other portions of the head, but preferably there will be uncooled sections such as at 5 directly over each piston 6. Each piston preferably has a bafile 7 extending vertically upward from its upper end as shown, the purpose of which will later appear.

At the side of the block, where the valve stems are located and extending outwardly between said valve stems each cylinder is formed with an integral horizontal projectmg boss 8 having two spaced apart horizontal passages 9 therethrough, the location of which isin a plane slightly above the upper end of the piston when it is in its lowest position, as shown in Fig. 3.

Located alongside the engine, in substantially the same horizontal plane with the bosses 8, is a member 10 from which bosses 11, similar to the bosses 8, extend inwardly, their inner ends abutting against the outer ends of said bosses 8. Two elongated openings 12, one located above the other and separated from each other, are provided in the member 10, from each of which a passage 13 leads through each boss 11 to the inner end thereof, the inner ends of all the passages 13 being in the same horizontal plane'substantially, and located at a point slightly above the plane of the passages 9 previously described. Each of the bosses 11 at its lower portion and below where the passages 13 are located, is' formed with a chamber 14 from the upper end of which two outlets 15 are made, lying in alignment with the passages 9. Pipes 16 connect with the member 10 at one end in conjunction with the openings 12 therethrough and lead to any suitable source of supply (not shown) of water or kerosene or the like, which in practice may be supplied through the openings 12 under suitable pressure if necessary.

A slide valve in the form of a flat bar 17 having two openings 18 therethrough is mounted vertically between each of the abutting bosses 8 and 11 and is guided for vertical reciprocatory movement. At its lower end each of the bars 17 is connected to a stem 19 equipped with head 20 at its lower end and normally forced in a downward direction by a coiled spring 21 so as to keep the head in operative contact with an elliptically shaped cam 22 on the cam shaft of the engine. It is evident that with each rotation of the cam shaft the bar 17 is raised and lowered twice, or makes two complete reciprocatory movements.

The slide bars 17 are held in firm engagement with the ends of the bosses 11 by plates 23, spring pressed thereagainst by springs 24, as shown by Figs. 1 and 3.

Assuming a piston of the engine to be in the position shown in Fig. 1, and that an explosive charge of mixed air and fuel is in the ex losion' chamber above the cylinder, when the charge is fired the cylinder is moved downward to its lowermost position, or that shown in Fig. 3. The slide bar 17, as shown in Fig. 1, has the openings 18 therein in direct conjunction with the ends of the passages 13 1 installed.

and said openings 18 will receive a smal quantity of any liquid which may be in either or both of the openings 12. When the cylinder has reached the position shown in Fig. 3,

on the explosion stroke exhaust gases pass through the passa es 9, openings 18 and passages 15 into the dliamber 14. Shortly after the upstroke of the piston begins the exhaust valves of the engine are opened, but when this has occurred the passages 9 have been covered by the piston and the bar 17 has moved upward suflicient to break the direct passa e from the cylinder to the chamber 14. T e succeeding upstroke of the piston, after the explosion down stroke, scavenges the cylinder of the exhaust gases; and on the succeedin down stroke a fresh charge of air and fue is drawn into the cylinder. When the cylinder again reaches the lower position, as shown in Fig. 3, the water or other liquid trap ed in the openin against the afile 7 on the piston 6 due to the escape of the higher pressure exhaust gases from the chamber 14 into the cylinder. This liquid, water, kerosene or both lies on top of the piston and moves u wardly with it on the compression stroke an when the new charge is ignited the heat developed by the ignition and explosion serves to vaporize the water, kerosene or both, this occurring almost instantly after the explosion, thereby creating an additional volume and pressure of gases, which, following their normal tendency to expand, increases the force exerted at the upper end of the piston tending to drive it downward and turn the crank shaft. As said before, the water is converted to steam with an increase in the volume of gases under compression which increase occurs very shortly after the explosion and therefore 18 is blown into the cy inder rovides a second and additional impulse of orce to the piston. With fuel, such as kerosene or other hydrocarbon, the same is vaporized and also exploded to create such second impulse.

By reason of the jacketing and cooling elimination of water of the sections 5 of the engine head directly over the points where the liquid is being carried by the piston, such liquid is subjected to excess heat when on the beginnin of the down stroke of the piston the liqui tends to separate therefrom and continue in an upper direction, striking against the highly heated sections 5, being broken u and substantially atomized so that it imme iately converts into vapor or steam when the heat of the explosion acts thereupon.

With this construction of engineit is ossible to reduce the amount of gasoline uel used without diminishing the power, while the heat absorbed in converting the water into steam helps to maintain the engine in a cooler condition. The structure is relatively simple and can be readily manufactured and The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered compre ensive of all forms of structure coming within their sccipe.

claim 2 1. In a four cycle internal combustion engine having a cylinder and a piston reciprocating therein, said cylinder having a passage through one side thereof, of a reservoir located at the outer end of said passage, a slide bar mounted for movement across said passage and having an opening therethrough adapted in one osition to complete the passage, and means or conducting a liquid to said opening in the slide bar when it is in a position out of alignment with said passage to the cylinder, whereb .said liquid is prol'pcted into the cylinder a ove the piston w en said piston is at the beginning of its compression stroke.

2. In a four cycle internal combustion engine having a cylinder and a iston reciprocating in said cylinder, and aving a passage through the wall of said cylinder, of means for periodically carrying a limited quantity of suitable liquid to said passage at the time when the piston is at the beginning of its complression stroke and forcing said 1i uid into t e cylinder above the piston when t e piston is in said position.

3. In a four cycle internal combustion engine having a vertical cylinder and a piston reciprocating therein, said cylinder having a passage through thewall thereof and a closed reservoir located at the outer end of the passage, of a slide bar having an opening therethrough mounted for vertical reciprocation across said passage and adapted in lower positon to have its opening come into consaid opening junction with said passage, said piston being in lower osition at the same time, and a liquid supp y means, said means having an outlet located above said passage with which in the slide bar comes into conjunction when said slide bar is in upper position.

4. In an internal combustion engine having a cylinder and apiston reciprocable therein, a compression chamber apart from said cylinder I and means for compressing gases in said compression chamber from said cylinder during the explosion period of the engines operation and for admitting fluid into said cylinder under compulsion of said compressed gases in the compression chamber during the intake period of the engines operation.

5. In an internal combustion engine having a cylinder and a piston reciprocable therein, a compression chamber apart from said cylinder, a passage extending between andcommunicating with said cyl nder and compression chamber and valve means associated with said passage for compressing gases in said chamber from said cylinder at one period of the engines operation and for conveying water to said passage to be in ected into said cylinder under compulsion of said compressed gases at another period of the'engines operation.

6. In an internal combustion en e having a cylinder and a piston reciproca le therein, a compression chamber apart from sald cylinder, a passage extending between and communicating with said cylinder and compression chamber, a fluid passage spaced from said first passage, a slide bar havmg an opening registerable with each of said passages at different positions in its movement and means for reciprocating said slide bar in synchronism with the operation of the engine whereby compressed gases are admitted to said compression chamber from said cylinder through said first passage and said opening in the slide bar at one period of the engines operation and fluid is carried from said fluid passage in said opening in the slide bar to said first passage and injected into said cylinder under compulsion of the compressed gases in the compression chamber at another period of the operation.

7. In a four cycle internal combustion engine having a cylinder and a piston reciprocable therein, a compression chamber apart from said cylinder, a passage extending between and communicating with said compression chamber and cylinder, a fluid passage spaced from said firstpassage, a. slide bar having an opening therein associated with both of said passages and means for reciprocating said slide bar in synchronism with the engine operation to register the opening therein with said first passage at each time the piston is near the bottom of its stroke-and to register said opening with said fluid passage intermediate said piston positions whereby compressed gases are admitted from the cylinder into the compression chamber through said first passage and the opening in said slide bar during the explosion operation of the engine and fluid is carried in said opening to said first passage and injected into the cylinder under compulsion of the compressed gases in said chamber during the intake operation of the engine.

8. In an internal combustion engine havmg a cylinder and a piston reciprocable therein, a compression chamber apart from said cylinder, means for compressing gases in said compression chamber from said cylinder at one period ofthe cycle of engine operations and for admitting fluid into said cylinder under compulsion of said compressed gases in said compression chamber at another period of the cycle and means for rendering said first means inoperative.

9. The combination defined in claim 6, combined with means for rendering said slide bar inoperative.

10. The combination combined with a manually operable member engageable with said slide bar to hold said slide bar stationary in position where its opening is not registered with said first passage.

11. In an internal combustion engine having a cylinder and a piston reciprocable therein, a compression chamber apart from said cylinder, and means for compressing gases in said compression chamber from said cylinder at one period of the cycle of engine operations and valve means for admitting a plurality of different fluids into said cylinder under compulsion of said compressed gases in said compression chamber at another period of the cycle.

12. In an internal combustion engine having a cylinder and a piston reciprocable therein, a compression chamber apart from said cylinder, means for compressing gases in said compression chamber from said cylinder at one period of the cycle of engine operations and additional means for measur-' ing a quantity of Water and admitting it into said cylinder under compulsion of said compressed gases in said compression chamber at another'period of the cycle.

' 13. In an internal combustion engine having a cylinder and a piston reciprocable therein, a compression chamber apart from slide bar in synchronism with the operation of the engine whereby compressed gases are admitted to said compression chamber from said cylinder through said first passages and said openings in the slide bar at one peri of the en 'nes o ration and fluid is carried from eac ofsaid fluid passages in said respective openings in the slide bar to said first passages and injected into said cylinder under compulsion of the compressed gases in the compression chamber at another period of the operation. 14. In a four stroke cycle internal combustion engine having a reicprocating piston, and a cylinder in which the same is mount for movement, means for projecting water into said cylinder immediately above said piston when the same is at the beginning of its compression stroke.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FRED B. PARKS. 

